The Lover
by Demon Eyes Laharl
Summary: SEELE Assasin, Maria, also known as the Lover. Shinji Ikari, NERV designated EVA pilot as the Third Child. Their lives, fated to intertwine, with one finding her humanity, and one finding the a better reason to live.
1. Chapter 1

"You're a little late, aren't you?"

A shot rang out, clipping Kaji on his left lung, flooding it with blood.

He was going to die, he thought with a slight arrogant smile. He had been wholly prepared for this. Looking in front of him, he spotted the young beautiful assassin sent for him. She couldn't have been older than thirty, maybe even younger. She had long silver grey hair tied to a tight bun, her red eyes looking at him with some sort of lust and emotion, her hand steady aiming the gun at the unarmed man.

She approached him, step-by-step, watching him fall down to a sitting position, his breathing getting shallower and shallower. She looked at him curiously, wondering for a moment why he hadn't come armed. Shaking her head slightly, she took those thoughts out of her head, and she slowly unzipped her front, exposing her naked skin underneath.

This was her MO, her expression of her love… she would give him his last rites.

"No need for that," Kaji coughed, spitting out blood. "Just do what you have to do. Make it quick. It really hurts."

She had to smile at that. Ryouji, even in the end… cool as ice. Her heart pumped hard, warmth of emotion flowing through her. He really was handsome… his smile was devilish…

"What makes you think you can stop me?" the woman asked gently, her hands stopping just before she could expose herself to him. She would certainly be able to coax him on it… and he certainly wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

"If you come near me, I'll damage you… and I'd hate to do that," he replied easily, yet weakly. "So just do us both a favor. Just get on with it."

"Very well…" she stated softly, feeling a pang of longing and anger at his rejection. She aimed her gun for the kill. "Any last words?"

"I said my peace earlier," he smiled. "Finish it."

She just nodded, and squeezed the trigger.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"… _**and tell Shinji-kun to take care of the melons I've been growing for me, will you? He knows where they are." **_

The messaged stopped, leaving Misato feeling the cold dread. She knew what that was… Kaji's last message to her. He was a painted man… and he was already probably dead. She did what any woman could.

She cried. She cried so hard that her knees buckled, and fell on the cold lifeless floor.

"Misato-san…?" Shinji approached, looking at his guardian. He felt her sorrow, her pain, but as always, he couldn't act. He didn't know how.

"Shinji…?" the woman looked up, and saw her care watching her cry. She tried to wipe away the tears, believing that her actions were unbecoming. She couldn't. She just cried.

The boy looked at her vulnerability. Her confidence, her drive, everything that he knew about her was gone for an instant. It was like seeing a stranger in his guardian's body.

"Oh god… I'm sorry…" she declared, trying to get back her normal teasing tone she always used around the boy. No avail. She stood up, still crying, cursing silently at her weakness. Shinji just stood there, not knowing what to do.

He was always like that, she thought.

Not anymore thinking, she lunged at him, hugging him tightly against her. She needed someone to comfort her. He was the only one around. She was selfish, she knew… but she was also helpless against it as she just continued to cry on his small chest.

Shinji was now trying to force himself to calm down, trying not to run away. She needed comfort. He would give her that, he decided, patting and gently rubbing her back, letting her cry on him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"It's done," the assassin declared towards her cell phone as she drove her car away from the kill site.

"**I'll send in the Cleaner. Have you extracted anything from him in person, or on his apartment?" **

"Nothing of importance," she replied. "What they were looking for wasn't there."

"**Maybe he has passed it on to someone…" **

"A lover maybe?" the assassin asked.

"**Too obvious. Agent Ryouji wouldn't be that transparent. Did he speak anything to you as you gave him his last rites?" **

"He rejected me," she replied, sighing with some longing. "I obliged."

"**Strange. I would have thought he'd accept you, Maria, the Lover, as his final memory in this world. Too bad. Did he say anything, like last words or the kind?" **

"Yes, though he said he had given it earlier," Maria replied neutrally. "Why? Do you want me to continue to investigate?"

"**Yes, Maria. Whatever Agent Ryouji had gathered, the information he had could be quite useful. Take your time. Thoroughly check his residence again. You may have missed something." **

Maria hung up, throwing her cell phone away. She slowly drove towards Agent Ryouji's apartment complex, knowing it was the first place to start the investigation. As she shifted the gear into the fifth, she sped through the empty roads, her thoughts on Kaji as he lay on the ground, with a rather peaceful expression on his face.

A tear flowed from her right eye. Another man she had loved…

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Nothing once more, Maria growled. She had went through every nook and cranny of the place. Before, she had seen some interesting password codes inside the toilet tank, and a few numbers under the couch, but again, searching once more gave nothing of importance. Wherever Agent Ryouji kept his data, he kept it well. He seemed to mock her as well, even after death, leaving his gun, his cell phone, and his wallet behind, free for anyone to see and look through.

It only served to remind her of the man she loved, who rejected her. Damn you, Kaji Ryouji, she thought.

It was useless. She had been thorough the first time. Exiting his apartment, she went back to her car, and sped away back to her own safe house, careful not to rouse any suspicion. Tokyo-3 was almost abandoned after the worsening effects of the Angel Attacks, and with Fuyutsuki's kidnapping just this week NERV had been uptight with their security.

Slamming the door behind her, she quickly unzipped her full body suit. Naked in her dark apartment, Maria went to her console, putting on slim spectacles that reflected the light off her screen and delved into Kaji Ryouji's file… or what seemed to be his file.

It was a rather censored file. The only thing it had was his name. Names of his acquaintances, lovers, friends, or anyone else were blackened out. It was Maria's preference, to just concentrate on the face and name of her targets. That way, she would fall for them easily, and that helped her perform her tasks. It was some sort of single-mindedness that was her greatest strength and her greatest weakness.

She spent her days in her hideaway, hacking through government databases, looking through his phone records. Like a true spy, he left little to no trail behind, each of his numbers coming to a dead end. The only thing she learned was the only two frequent contacts he had were NERV HQ, and a residential number. A little more hacking here and there, she realized it was the number of a certain Misato Katsuragi, the Operations Director of NERV.

Of course, those were months ago. In the past week, he had made no calls in his cell phone, or residential phone as well. In the end, it was a cold trail.

She sighed, and removed her glasses to rest her eyes. Looking at the darkened skies from the window of her apartment, she went out on the veranda, letting the cool night air breeze through her naked body. She didn't feel ashamed. She was the only one there, the whole surrounding area having been deserted.

After watching the stars for a few minutes, she moved back inside, and went to the bathroom. She opened the tap, filling the tub with warm water. It took a few minutes for it to fill, but when it did, she enjoyed the warmth of the water as she dipped in.

What was that saying? Wash your worries away in the bathes, Maria thought with a slight calm smile, and for the first time in days, relaxed fully knowing she was going to work herself to exhaustion later.

It took a few more days, but she finally got another lead. Before Kaji had come to the meeting place, he made one last call… to a payphone.

Smart, Maria thought as she typed in her console. Payphones may have been deceptively hard to trace as multiple of people use them but the city was almost deserted, only a handful of people live here anymore.

Agent Ryouji contacted Misato Katsuragi before his death. Was it just a simple goodbye? The man knew he where he was marching to, judging by his reaction when he saw Maria… or was it really the lead she was looking for?

Knowing her destination, she immediately dressed up in her suit, and exited the apartment, cocking her silenced gun for a good measure. It was time to visit this Katsuragi woman.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

By the time she was stalking around the apartment, the sirens, indicating an Angel attack rang. She ignored it. It was more convenient anyway. Maria knew that Misato Katsuragi would be at NERV, handling the extermination of the Angel, so it left her plenty of time to search around her apartment unobstructed.

She didn't want to confront the woman. So far, she was an innocent. The only thing she was guilty of was her apparent relationship with Agent Ryouji.

Picking the lock on her apartment door, she was immediately greeted by the dark foreboding living area. It was clean, but judging by the air around the area, it wasn't exactly happy. First thing she did was go for the phone, and spotted the answering machine. She chuckled slightly, wondering if her search was actually going to be easy as she pressed the button on the machine.

With her luck though, she doubted it.

Most of her messages were from NERV Headquarters, different sections asking for the Katsuragi woman to call back. Going through more messages, she reached towards the end, and was surprised when she heard his voice.

Maybe Fate wanted to ease her burden for a bit, she thought as she listened to Agent Ryouji's message.

"_**Katsuragi… it's me. I know you're listening to this, so I want to say I'm sorry first for causing you so much trouble. Please tell Rits-chan I'm sorry as well. Its not much of a consolation… but if I do see you again, I'll tell you those words I should have said eight years ago. I hope you don't make the same mistakes I did. Don't hesitate, Katsuragi. Move forward without compromise." **_

There was a pause.

"_**Oh, and tell Shinji-kun to take care of the melons I've been growing for me, will you? He knows where they are." **_

Maria looked thoughtful. Agent Ryouji did say good-bye… but his last words sounded a bit cryptic. Kaji, in her file, wasn't much of a gardener. He was far too busy with his work to keep himself tied down to anything like that. In addition, who was this… 'Shinji-kun'? He apparently knows where Agent Ryouji kept his 'melons'.

This is where trying to censor out her target's personal life becomes a disadvantage. She had no idea who this Shinji was or his connection to Agent Ryouji. Deciding to call it in later, she looked around the apartment for a minute, trying to get a feel for the place.

The Misato woman wasn't living alone, she assumed. She opened the doors of the apartment, seeing the kitchen, the bathroom, two guest rooms that indicated someone had occupied them. She didn't care about those. She wouldn't care unless she had her target. That was how she worked.

Later, she was Misato's bedroom, judging by the vanity mirror. It was also a mess. She opened the window, looked down and up. The room was situated at the back end of the building. When everything was seen and done, Maria exited the apartment, and vanished from sight, as she walked back to her car.

Maria relayed everything to her superiors once the Angel attack had subsided. The signal jamming that had been NERVs Standard Operating Procedure to censor what was going on during an Angel attack was still effective enough to cut her out from her handler and superiors, and it was only until she had arrived back at her apartment she was able to call back.

Relaying everything about Kaji's message, her handler then told her to wait. Her message would be relayed to her superiors, and then they would decide on her next course of action. So… she patiently waited until they would call on her again.

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Earlier that day, at NERV HQ…

"Don't…! Don't enter me!" Asuka screamed as she clutched her head. "AGH! Stop! STOP IT! NO! NO! GET! OUT! OF! MY! HEAD!!"

"ASUKA!" Misato panicked, looking towards the technicians.

"Her psychograph is at critical point!" Maya declared, typing fast at her console.

"Her mental circuits are being severely damaged," Ritsuko assessed. "If it goes any further, it'll overload!"

"Damn it…" Misato looked back at the big screen. "Asuka, retreat!"

"NO!" the girl declared.

"That's a direct order, damn it! Retreat!"

"I'd rather die!" Asuka screamed.

It was useless, she wasn't listening, Misato thought. "Damn it… how's the charging of the positron rifle!?"

"It's fully charged!"

"Rei," Misato looked towards another part of the screen, where it displayed the First Child's face. "Fire!"

"Yes ma'am," Rei Ayanami replied calmly, and her EVA squeezed the trigger. The beam of energy shot upwards, towards the Angel, only for it to be stopped by an AT-Field.

"No effect!" Makoto, one of the technicians relayed. "Not enough energy to break through the AT-Field!"

"Let me help her!" Shinji suddenly declared from his position. His EVA was frozen under Commander's Orders.

"Negative, Pilot," Gendo Ikari, the Commander of NERV HQ stated, earning a surprised look from everyone. The man usually kept quiet from his position, and rarely spoke.

"But father… Asuka…!" Shinji protested, but he was ignored.

"Rei," Gendo looked towards the First Child. "Go to Terminal Dogma. Retrieve the Lance."

Fuyutsuki faced the man, his eyes wide and confused. "The Lance of Longinus? Ikari, you can't possibly be thinking…!"

"We have no choice," Gendo declared with a slight smile. "Don't worry about the old men. I'll take care of that."

"If you're sure…"

No one knew at that point, but that stunt had slowly was going to change the lives of a few chosen people forever.

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A few days later, in a dark room, multiple of light pillars, each with a number began to speak amongst themselves.

"That damn Ikari! He's up to something."

"Obviously. He didn't even make a proper excuse."

"He is in need of a lesson. Maybe we can send the Doctor on his way…"

"No, she would damage him excessively. Besides… the Lover is still on that city. She would not appreciate it if we let someone, especially the Doctor, in her territory."

The pillar with the number 'One' on it suddenly spoke, making the others go silent.

"We can use the Lover for this. We can use her to send him a message."

"How? Getting rid of Ikari? That would prove useless. We don't have a replacement for him, and we're at a critical stage."

"There is one target she can take care of. One that Ikari might not be willing to lose."

"And who would that be?"

"Let me worry about that."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Later, Maria finally received words from her handler.

"**Maria… this is your new assignment. You have a new target. This man, this Shinji that Agent Ryouji had mentioned may have anything information we might be looking for. Extract that information, and then finish him." **

She was surprised. She was an assassin, not an interrogator. "That's not exactly my job…" she replied.

"**We can always send in the Doctor if you want."**

"No. Absolutely not," she replied coldly. She may not enjoy the job, but the Doctor, whom she had grown to detest, did… too much, in fact. The woman's sadism was sickening, as she seemed to derive pleasure from causing pain. She wouldn't wish this poor man of the Doctor's presence.

"Any information about this man, Shinji?" she asked.

"**Unfortunately, no. You'll have to find him on your own. Good luck." **

The line went dead. She paused, looking at her cell phone, somehow feeling something was wrong. Maybe it was the fact she was given a job she wasn't exactly comfortable with, but now she had nothing to work on. No face to look at. No idea what kind of person she would fall in love with, so she began to wonder a bit whom this man was.

It was improbable that her Superiors didn't have anything to go on. They held the world's secrets, after all. Still. A job is a job. She would just make due in putting his face to her memory and heart when she meet him for the first time.

Dressing up with her usual suit, arming herself with a knife and gun, she added a few lengths of PlastiCuffs, a length of rope with a grappling hook at the end, and kept a ski mask. She had only one lead… the Katsuragi woman. She sighed, wondering if it was fate that she'd have to confront her. As long as her face wasn't seen, she could spare the woman.

All Maria needed was a location. Surely, the Katsuragi woman will oblige… hopefully she'll be very cooperative.

Once more, she got in her car, and revved towards the city, relaxed, trying to plan out how she'd coax the woman into talking. It would be difficult if this man, Shinji, was a close friend of hers. Would mentioning that she was the one that ended Agent Ryouji's life make it easier or harder for her? Maria sighed as she shifted to the fifth gear.

Leaving her car a few blocks away, the night sky cool against her face. Wearing the ski mask, she stalked around the darkening area, alert. After a few moments of slowly walking towards Katsuragi's apartment, she was able to spot a few suited men.

Section-Two, she thought with a slight frown. She had expected them, actually. They were responsible for the safety of most of the personnel of NERV, but the number was somewhat inconsistent of the SOP used in guarding one person.

She was on the move. With one fell swoop, she easily knocked out two suited men near to her location, silently and quickly. She dashed towards the others, and they too fell by her hand. They wouldn't wake up any time soon, but with them knocked out, the others would know something is wrong. They would come.

Seeing the apartment of Katsuragi filled with light, she knew going through the front like earlier wasn't the best option. Having explored the apartment before, she knew her entrance. Running from the stairs, to the roof, she set up a grappling hook on the edge, swinging down on the rear-side of the apartment. Rappelling down, counting the windows, she stopped by the window of Katsuragi's room, and checked it…

It was unlocked. The woman was careless, Maria thought with a shake of her head.

The room was dark, but Maria knew it was also a total mess. Outside the door, she could see the light peeking through the narrow opening of the door, with indiscernible noise from the outside. She slowed her breathe. The woman had a companion. If she thought she was born under a lucky star, she would think that the companion could be the man she was searching for, but she just scoffed that thought out.

She wasn't lucky. She had the worst luck, born under the wrong star. Fate wasn't generous. No… she just knew she had to be quick. When the opportunity came, she would capture the Katsuragi woman, and get information about this man, Shinji. If her companion would interfere, she'd knock him or her out.

In the darkness of the room, Maria, the Lover, awaited for her opportunity.

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"Is it alright?" Shinji asked timidly, looking at the distraught Misato.

"She wanted to stay at NERV… nothing we can do to change her mind, Shinji…" the woman sighed as she tried to eat her dinner which Shinji had prepared. She shook her head, and put her spoon down.

"Sorry… is it not to your liking…?" the boy asked at his guardian, frowning a bit.

"It… it smells great, Shinji-kun. Its probably delicious, but… I'm sorry, I'm in no mood to eat."

Shinji just smiled, and replied as he did, always. "I understand."

Misato sighed… her appetite was gone. The war had gone on far too long, and the losses were getting greater and greater. The biggest one was Kaji who had gone missing. She knew the man she loved was dead. To make it worse, he wasn't lost because of the Angels. Someone else had killed him. The world grew weary each time she woke to greet the next day. The only people she had left was Shinji, Makoto, Ritsuko and Asuka… the last having suffered a terrible ordeal that she didn't even want to go home with them anymore, opting to stay at NERV HQ.

"Misato-san… you look tired," Shinji said with a frown, looking at his guardian. "Take a rest. I'll clean-up."

Misato grunted, and just nodded. She felt terrible, and just did what Shinji suggested. Besides, she could use a good rest. Approaching the door towards her room, she opened it, only to feel immense pain as something impacted her face, stunning her. She was then thrown inside, and heard the door close.

She was being attacked, Misato thought immediately, and ignored the pain. She then began to feel intense anger. First, it was directed to Section-Two, those incompetent nincompoops, and the second was towards the attacker who had dared invade her home. Feeling her arm locked at her back, she immediately shoved her other free arm to the attacker, and hit the attacker's upper side. Her arm was released.

Misato was surprised to feel her attacker had breasts. Rolling on the ground, she tried to see who was attacking her. What she got was a woman wearing something completely black, with a holster for a knife and gun obvious in her chest and hips respectively, and a ski mask completely covering her face.

"Who are you!?" Misato demanded.

"Misato Katsuragi?" the figure asked. Not waiting for a response, she stated, "Come with me quietly. Don't make me hurt you."

"Like hell you will," Misato declared, and moved in for the attack.

Whoever her attacker was, she was skilled… more skilled than her, Misato thought regretfully. She had Close Quarters Combat training, but being more of a commander than a field soldier, her skills degraded. Her attacker was too fast, and ultimately too strong. She also knew many CQC moves, and more advanced ones as well. More than once, Misato had hit the ground or the wall. She felt the attacker knew that the fight was unevenly matched.

If she wanted to, she could kill her, the purple-haired woman thought. But she wasn't… she needed Misato alive. What for, she didn't want to find out, and continued to fight on.

Maria grunted as she escaped another clumsy attempt of the woman of grabbing her legs. She just flipped her over, and grabbed her arm, locking it in place. Misato just screamed as Maria exerted some pressure over her shoulder, but with her other hand free, she tried to elbow her once more.

Maria was more prepared this time, blocked Misato's attack, and locked her arm behind her as well.

"Settle down, Katsuragi…" the assassin declared. "I need some information… and the more you cooperate, the less painful it will have to be for both of us."

"What do you want?" Misato asked, her teeth gritting.

"I am looking for a man-" she began, only to be cut short.

"Misato-san… are you okay?" a young voice called from outside the door. "I heard some noise…"

Maria cursed, of all her luck. Unknown to her, her captive had a horrified expression on her face, and began to struggle harder than ever.

"Shinji! Run!" Misato shouted. She would never forgive herself if she got the boy involved in this one.

"Huh? Why? What's wrong?" the voice outside asked, confused.

"Shinji?" Maria blinked. Was Fate really being kind to her? She smiled underneath her mask, and whispered, "So that's where he is."

Misato, due to her close contact with her attacker, heard her whisper and realized who she was looking for. "NO!" she shouted, struggling at her hardest. "You won't…!"

"Sorry…" Maria declared with honest regret, and let go of Misato, only to chop the back of her neck, knocking her unconscious. Letting her slump to the floor, she then removed her mask, and readied her gun.

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"Misato-san!? Misato-san!?"

Outside, Shinji was ready to run. Whatever happened inside the room, it sounded pretty violent. However, before he could even move, the door opened. He thought it was his guardian, only to stare down at a barrel of a gun, the wielder, a beautiful looking young woman, whose silver white hair flowed freely down at her back, her red eyes staring at him, with a hint of sadness.

The second she saw him though, confusion suddenly entered her expression. The gun she had aimed at him went down for a moment, her hesitation apparent, and then aimed it back at Shinji's chest.

"Wha…! Who…!" Shinji backed away a step, he too confused.

"Are you Shinji?" she asked.

The boy nodded. His eyes then spotted Misato inside her room, laying on the floor. He felt uncharacteristically angry, his eyes hardening towards the woman who still trained her weapon at him.

Maria was still in a state of confusion. The man… no, boy, Shinji… he couldn't have been older than fifteen. This was Agent Ryouji's ally? Was he the one that hid the information her superiors needed? What if he was? What if he wasn't? Worst of all he had seen her face… what was she supposed to do now?

"Come here…" she decided to take him away. She would find out later if he was Agent Royuji's ally. She took a step forward.

"D-don't come near me!" Shinji exclaimed loudly, his anger replaced with fear as he scrambled backwards, tripping on his own feet, apparently. He backpedaled away, his intentions obvious to Maria, who immediately caught up with him, knocking him out with one swift stroke.

Cuffing his hands behind his back with her nylon PlastiCuffs, she easily carried the unconscious boy, bridal-style, outside the apartment. She went towards her car, placed him at the passenger side, and drove away. While her eyes were on the road, she couldn't help but steal glances at the unconscious boy, vulnerable beside her. When she arrived at a stretch of a road, placed her hand and felt the features of his face.

The Lover's heart pumped slightly harder but she immediately squashed her emotions. She couldn't fall for the boy yet… not until she was sure she would put a bullet in his heart.

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_Author's Notes: _

_Honestly, don't ask. This idea came out of nowhere. Like Mage Wars, it's an experiment, which I'll update from time to time. Enjoy it people. Later. _


	2. Chapter 2

When Ritsuko entered the clinic, she knew Misato wasn't in the mood. The woman was already standing up, her head wrapped around in some bandages while she rubbed on her body tenderly, nursing her few bruises.

"Well?" she asked the faux-blonde in a hard tone.

"Section-8 is still investigating, and the Section-2 guards assigned to you and Shinji are being questioned but so far, we have nothing to work on…" Ritsuko replied with a slight calm tone.

"Damn it…" Misato cursed. "I blew it… I am his guardian for God's sake… and I let that bitch slip past me and get him."

Ritsuko took a deep breathe. "Misato… I know you don't want to hear this… but you have consider the possibility that Shinji-kun might… be…"

"No, he's not," Misato cut her off vehemently.

"Think about it, Misato! No call was made, no ransom note, nothing," the faux blonde began. "Whatever the reason for kidnapping him might be, it wasn't for getting money out of NERV. Shinji has no shred of intelligence that could prove useful to anyone. We are the only organization that has EVAs to use. Shinji is useless to anyone but us."

"And who would kill a boy?"

"Religious cults, maybe. There are still some out there who think fighting the Angels is a mistake," Ritsuko replied. "And… it's no secret that he is the Commander's son… and he made a lot of enemies in this life."

"Speaking of the Commander…" Misato looked towards the scientist, "what is he going to do about this?"

"He's already looking for a replacement pilot for Unit-01," Ritsuko replied, looking slightly down to avoid the glare that found itself in Misato's eyes. "He's also re-assigning Section-8."

"What!?"

"Calm down, Misato… the investigation will be ongoing," Ritsuko tried to placate her friend.

"Who did he leave for the investigation?" Misato asked.

"Here…" the faux-blonde handed her the papers.

Misato scanned it like a hawk, checking out a few names, her face darkening by the second. Just after a few moments, she looked up, her face now flushed with anger. Ritsuko was spared the look, having turned her back to walk away… but her friend wouldn't have that.

"What the hell is this!?" she demanded. "I can understand why most of the experienced officers were recalled, but you're leaving only ten rookies to gather intelligence, when the details are sketchy and vague at best?"

"Sorry, Misato…" Ritsuko stated softly as she began to walk away. "Apparently… the Commander doesn't feel too overly concerned of Shinji-kun's disappearance."

Misato watched her friend open the door, walk past it, and closed it behind her, leaving the purple-haired woman alone once again in her office. After a second, she slammed her closed fist on the table, rattling the computer and her pen holder on top.

"That goddamned bastard!" she whispered, and slammed her fist on the table again and again. Her eyes turned misty as her mind searched through the memories of all the men in her life. Her father died protecting her… Kaji disappeared, leaving a last goodbye message on her phone… and now, her youngest, Shinji, was taken away.

She'd be damned if she'd lose him as well.

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The first thing Shinji felt when he regained consciousness was pain. Groaning slightly, he smelled a very feminine scent. His hands felt the smooth cotton-soft material, and on his head, a fluffy lump on his head and neck. Opening his eyes to another unfamiliar ceiling, he found himself inside a room, quite bare like his own.

He was fully clothed, and untied. He wondered for a moment why he thought of the latter, and then remembered the beautiful woman who had appeared in front of him with a gun aimed at his heart. Panic then set in. Suddenly being somewhat hyper-aware of his surroundings, he looked around to see if his attacker was anywhere to be found.

He was alone… which meant a lot of things. But one thing was for sure… he had to escape.

He took a glance at the door, and walked to it. Opening it, he could hear his attacker talking to someone on the phone. He slowly then crept out of the room, and hopefully, out of this place.

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Maria had sat at her computer, her cell phone at her hand. After dialing a secure number, she was asked for her codename and serial.

"Lover. A235K," she replied. "Contacting Oracle."

There was a slight pause as she was reconnected to the Oracle, who sounded as she usually did… peppy and warm. Maria always found herself jealous at how she seemed so… 'normal' for the lack of better term.

"Maria! Hey! How'd the assignment go? Found anything on your new target?" the Oracle asked.

"I need information on…" Maria paused as she looked at the NERV ID card she had taken from the unconscious boy earlier. "… Ikari Shinji."

"You're new target eh? Give me a moment… I'll give it to you in a minute after I run the algorithm program to censor all the unnecessary details…"

"No," Maria cut her off. "I want the full file. No censorship."

There was a slight uncomfortable pause.

"Did I hear you right?" the Oracle asked, her tone turning serious. She also sounded somewhat out of breathe.

"Yes…" Maria replied.

"What's so special about this target of yours?"

"Nothing," the Lover muttered, a bit more forced than usual. "I just want the full files."

"Okay… I'll send it over to you now."

Her screen then blared to life as it indicated a file being downloaded.

"Thanks," Maria muttered as she slightly leaned on the chair she was sitting on. Then, as her file was downloading, she heard a very small but very telling clicking sound. "Oracle… excuse me."

Closing her line, she swiveled her chair away, and stood up. Hiding mostly on the shadows, she spotted the boy trying to quietly sneak away. He might have gotten a better start if he didn't close the door, making the assassin aware her target was now awake. Deciding to stay hidden and watch him, she watched with slight interest as the boy just tried to stay quiet as possible.

He had experience in this. Did NERV train him, or was this more of a personal thing for the boy? The way he kept looking behind his back in fear… Maria found herself suddenly interested with her little game. There was the Huntress, who is also another assassin working for her superiors that once told her there was nothing more exciting than watching her prey squirm.

The sensation was novel, but not quite what Maria would find herself doing. For now, it was just to study the boy, gauge his reaction. See how far he could go…

Impressively, he made it to the front door, which was unfortunately bolted up nice and tight. Maria had the key, hanging on her neck, so she decided to end this charade. Flipping the light switch open, she made sure she was looking slightly down as not to shock her eyes with the sudden brightness of the room.

Shinji, the boy, wasn't so fortunate. First thing he did was look up as the lights came on. A mistake really, as he looked back down, blinking. Maria took that opportunity to approach him. When his eyes finally adjusted, he finally saw her… and his eyes… Maria felt her heart beat a bit faster as she saw his eyes.

Wide with terror, mixed in with disbelief, and then, shame. His face flushed crimson, and that's when Maria realized that she had forgotten she had a guest, a young man at that, in her house and had forgone her clothing as usual. Not that she minded. She had lost her shyness of being naked years ago… plus, even if the boy got the idea of trying to take advantage of her, she would give it back to him in spades.

"Escaping are we?" she asked in a slight monotone.

"Please… let me go…" he began. "I don't know why you kidnapped me… but…"

"Hush," Maria muttered quickly. "You want out, boy? The key to that door is here…" and she pointed at her necklace. "If you want it… take it."

Maria knew she was goading him. A part of her was doing it because she enjoyed it. Another part of her was trying to figure out if he really is indeed Ryouji's partner. Was the boy a spy like him? How skilled is he in combat? How would he get out of this situation?

But the way he just stood there, unmoved, not wanting to approach her, not even looking at her… was he really an innocent as she perceived him to be? Or was he just trying to create an opening from her?

"Well?" Maria asked, waiting. "If you don't… I'll hurt you. Badly."

He flinched. Was he afraid of pain? Suddenly, he moved. His hands flew out, trying to grab the necklace… however, his face was still flushed and looking down, so his aim wasn't too accurate. Still, Maria reacted, and pushed his hand away, and immediately went for an attack. Grabbing his offending arm, she locked it from the elbow, and dragged the boy down on the ground. In instinct, he shot his free elbow up, but she blocked it easily.

Dragging him up, Maria released his arms and pushed him away at the same time. She went to a ready position, waiting for the boy to attack again. He didn't. His face was flushed, face confused. Not waiting for him to act anymore, she suddenly and aggressively attacked him, and to her surprise, he put up a valiant defense… but all for nothing as she put pinned him to the wall.

"Try and escape again and next time, I will damage you," Maria growled. She wasn't angry, but she acted well enough to make the boy nod quickly. Dragging him around the halls until she came to the room, she threw him in, back to the bed where Shinji found himself waking in.

Maria took out a handcuff, and made sure the boy was looking at that and not anywhere in her body… not that she was shy, but because right now, the handcuffs were important.

"Will you be a good boy, or will I have to cuff you to a bed post?"

Shinji shook his head. As she left, he found himself sitting down on the bed, his emotions dominated by two clashing forces. A woman was tossing him around like a rag-doll… that made him afraid; she was doing it while she was naked… and that was arousing.

Fear was an emotion he was used to, having been facing Angels, but arousal was something new. Sure, his fellow pilot was a very pretty and sexy girl, his guardian even more so, plus to not forget that slight accident with Ayanami going out of her shower… yet it was only now did he have such close contact with bare feminine flesh. Last time, it was an accidental grope on his part… this time, it was intentional and he had no part in it.

He stayed there, wondering what was going on, and wondering when all of this was finally over.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The file was fully downloaded, and the system was asking her if she wanted to open it. Sitting down, she clicked 'Yes'. The phone rang. It was the Oracle.

"Have you read the files yet?" she asked.

"Not yet," Maria replied, letting the encryption program run its thing as the file began to open. She was forced to type her codename and a password before it opened completely.

"Who is this kid?" the Oracle asked. "Your next target?"

"I'm about to find out," the Lover replied.

The files opened, and the life of Ikari Shinji was now open to her eyes. Maria wondered for a second if censoring it was a much better choice for her. Before, she wasn't so sure on the hit. The basis of his death stemmed from the fact he was Ryouji's partner, and he may have hidden a few files that her superiors wanted. The files spoke differently. In this, he was a civilian boy thrust in a world of war. Abandoned by his father as a child, growing up in an indifferent household whose caretaker seemed to only care for the money that his father was sending discreetly, he was called to Tokyo-3 to pilot an Evangelion and beat the Angel that was terrorizing the city the day he arrived.

He then began to live under the Katsuragi woman's care. She had submitted weekly reports of his stay, and they showed up on the file as well. It wasn't a very happy situation. The boy even ran away for a few days after his second battle with another Angel. It was only after what Maria knew as the JetAlone incident did the two finally seem to get along.

Apparently, she was the only one that Shinji seemed to get along with as she was also one of the few who was more honest to him. If there wasn't much age difference, Maria could picture them as lovers of sort. His relationship with his father was best left unspoken… he seemed to work very hard to please him, but Ikari senior was just... heartless. His relationships with his fellow pilots seemed pretty strained as well.

Ayanami Rei… Maria knew who she was. She met her true counter-part, Nagisa Kaworu. The boy's relationship with her was spotty at best. There was a little tidbit from Section-2 that Ikari Shinji had only visited her once in her apartment, but something had happened. It was so bad he never went back there anymore. Ever.

Then there was the pilot of Unit-02, Sohryu Asuka Langley. Domineering, rude, and competitive. His status as the pilot with most kills and seemingly high synch ratio considering he wasn't as trained as she was made him a target for her pickings. Her arrival had been marked, by Katsuragi's notes, as Shinji's regression in socialization once more.

He still had friends outside NERV of course: Aida Kensuke, a military enthusiast, and the Fourth Child, Suzuhara Toji. Shinji, or more specifically his EVA under the influence of the experimental Dummy Plug System, maimed the latter when an Angel infected EVA Unit-03 the Suzuhara kid was supposed to pilot.

There was a psych evaluation on him as well. Introverted, socially stunted, emotionally stunted… and even words Maria hadn't seen in her days. The kid was brittle glass… and after all he had been through, Maria would have to agree.

"The kid's a mess," the Oracle muttered. "So… what did he do to piss our noble masters off?"

Her sarcasm wasn't lost on the Lover. "I'm investigating whether he was Ryouji's partner-in-crime."

"Just from reading all of this, I can tell you he isn't," the Oracle replied.

"It could be fake…" Maria reasoned. "Ryouji's file had quite a lot of doctored histories…"

"True, but those are easily spotted with parallel investigations and plain logic. Plus… this kid's history is too detailed to be faked," the Oracle pointed out. "NERV was documenting him fully. He was one of their main assets. Some would even call him a prodigy as a pilot."

"He lacks training, though," Maria began. "I easily beat him, and I wasn't even trying."

"He wasn't raised by the military, that's for sure," the Oracle stated. "That's ultimate proof of him not being a spy. Who would be stupid enough to send an untrained green like him on the intelligence circle? Even I had to suffer that asshole of a Master Sergeant."

The Oracle had a point, Maria conceded. The whole thing was beginning to feel wrong. Granted, she was in unexplored territories here. She had read his whole life with no censorship, and that could already be affecting her judgment… but the Oracle was as neutral as they come. Her assessments on people and things are very accurate, and if she says there was something wrong, the best bet was to listen.

"Oracle… I need a favor," Maria whispered. "You and I both know something fishy is going on. Can you look into it for me?"

"Sure, Maria…" the Oracle declared. "What are you going to do now?"

"Find out if the boy really is a spy…"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Misato stared at the computer screens as Section-8 began to try to find more clues… anything to hint her in where Shinji could be. However… there was nothing. Whoever the woman was, it seems she knew a route where there weren't much surveillance cameras, and that meant she was well informed and knew the backdoor roads of Tokyo-3.

That scared her.

"Anything yet?" she growled softly.

"Not yet, ma'am…" one of the officers stated nervously.

Misato sighed. Where the hell was Shinji?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Um…" Shinji backed away immediately when his kidnapper came back to the room, her aura reminiscent of Misato when she was about to work. She was still naked, but somehow, the boy didn't feel his face flush because her face was so damn… serious.

"We will go out and eat," she declared as she went towards the closet and began to grab a few clothes. Shinji was then reminded of his brief encounter with Rei in her apartment as the woman began to dress up in front of him, putting on her panties and bra.

"O…kay…?"

"I will establish a few ground rules. You break them, I break a limb," she muttered as she began to put on some pants. "One, you are to stay near me at all times. Two, do not call attention for yourself. Follow those, and we will both be happier." She paused as she finally put on her shirt. "Understand?"

"Yes!" Shinji exclaimed immediately.

"Good. I'm in a good mood today…"

Shinji doubted that, but he didn't want to voice it.

"… so you can choose where we eat," the woman finished.

There was only one place Shinji could think of, and that was the place where Misato had treated him and his fellow pilots after a rather successful operation with somewhat very low odds of them coming out on top. When he told the woman the place, she didn't even seem to blink, and just nodded.

"A ramen place, eh?" and she beckoned him to follow her. "Let's go."

She drove fast and hard, something that reminded him of Misato. For a very brief moment, he felt right at home, and relaxed at the car seat as the vehicle just sped on its way, turning left and right. Shinji began to relax a bit, and even napped for a while until he felt someone tugging on his shoulders.

"We're here," the woman muttered.

Surprisingly, the stand was still there and even more surprising… it was the only thing in that part of the city that wasn't wrecked. Odd. Walking towards the stand, Shinji was surprised when the chef behind the counter was about to greet them, only to cut himself short as he found himself recognizing the boy.

"Well, well, my boy! You always surround yourself with lovely women, eh?" the chef declared.

"H-hello sir," Shinji replied with a slight smile.

"Where's the other pretty ladies you were with?" the chef laughed good-naturedly. "And who is the new one?"

"She's a friend," Shinji replied rather quickly. Too quickly, Maria would take note.

"Excuse me, but where can I find the lady's room?" the silver-haired woman asked.

The Chef friendlily pointed it out, and Maria feigned slight ignorance, and asked Shinji if he knew the location. The boy nodded, and left the chef, who began to wish luck towards Shinji, and winked at him. The boy was terribly confused… even more so, when he and Maria reached a somewhat isolated area of a narrow corridor which lead towards the water closets, and she just suddenly sprang to him. She pinned him down the wall, and out of nowhere, grabbed a knife and pointed it directly at his throat, making him feel the sharp edge of the blade.

"You were about to expose me," she accused.

"No!" Shinji swore.

"The man knew you."

"I ate here with Misato, Asuka and Ayanami here, one time!" the boy replied in panic. The feel of the cold edge did a lot to stir emotions. "I… I didn't know he'd recognize me… I swear!"

Maria looked at him, hard. The boy… outwardly, he was telling the truth. Of course, the chance he was still a spy that worked with Ryouji was fresh from her mind, but nevertheless, she lowered her weapon. Shinji gave a relieved sigh, only to yelp when her hand suddenly enclosed around his neck, and squeezed.

"After this, we will talk," Maria declared. "You will answer my questions truthfully. Understand?"

The boy just nodded. What else could he have said?

The ramen tasted good, even though Shinji felt phantom cold steel on his neck more than once. Unknowingly, he kept his eyes on her as she took sips as well, slowly, as she watched the chef very closely. The man just kept talking, though there was an obvious forcedness in his conversation. He put a happy face, even though the whole area was just depressing, utterly broken and devastated.

Maria paid for the meal, and beckoned Shinji to follow. He followed without a word of protest. Once more, she drove them away, and this time, Shinji was alert. Knowing she had a deadly weapon around her made him skittish now so he just took glances at her, barely even looking where she was going. When the car did stop though, he recognized the place immediately.

It was the cliff overlooking the city… the second place Misato had shown to him, the first being NERV HQ. It was this very place where she had given him those words of encouragement… words part of him wished his father gave them to him.

"Why are we here?" Shinji asked timidly.

"I am asking the questions, not you," Maria replied stiffly. Truthfully, this was her favorite spot in the city. It was isolated and quite far enough not to attract attention. Plus, the sight of having the buildings of the city rise was something that got to her. It was something to behold.

"What do you know of Ryouji Kaji?"

"Kaji-san…?" Shinji looked a bit surprised. "He was… an inspector of NERV… I think."

"When did you meet him?" Maria asked.

"Um… in that Carrier… I don't remember the name," Shinji replied. "It's when we met Asuka… she's a-"

"The Second Child, yes," the woman finished, looking somewhat annoyed how much he seemed to stammer. Granted, he was afraid for his life. "How close were you with Ryouji Kaji?"

"Um… I… don't know," Shinji replied after some thought. "He… gave me advice on women… I guess."

Ryouji Kaji… charmer. If Maria wasn't on a job, she'd have broken a wide smile at that. Now… she would unbalance the boy. Tell him something he wouldn't totally expect or know. That way, once she asked the main question, he'd be too distracted to lie to her. She didn't know how truthful he was up to this point, but now, it was time to find out.

"I am asking much about Ryouji because I killed him," she declared. The boy's eyes widened. "I shot him in the heart."

There it was. Shinji flinching back, his legs pretty unsure what to do. The whole fight or flight reaction was a sure way to know if someone had been disturbed emotionally. His face was torn whether to run from her, or to run at her.

"Are… are you going to kill me?" he asked.

"I am asking the questions, boy," Maria repeated. "And maybe, I'll let you go. As I said, I killed Ryouji-san. He left a message for Katsuragi-san on the phone. Here's my question…" she paused for a slight dramatic effect. "What do you know of Ryouji-san's 'melons'."

This was the moment of truth. A denial would mean two things… he really has no idea, which didn't make sense, or he really is Ryouji's little helper. An untrained helper, maybe, but still, a helper. Maria watched the boy as he looked confused, then panicked. She wondered if she scared the boy a bit too much that he may just very well say anything just to keep on her good side. If that happened, it was a mess she wouldn't like to clean up.

"Melons… melons…" Shinji tried hard to remember. "The… the only melons I know were the ones he was… planting."

Maria drew out her knife. Shinji's eyes widened.

"That's a lie."

"No, it's the truth! I swear!" the boy replied in panic. "I saw them… when the Angel attacked… a month ago! He was watering them! It was…" he paused. "It was also the last time I… saw him."

The woman approached him, making Shinji stumble back once more. Reminiscent on their first meeting in the Katsuragi-Ikari-Sohryu apartment, he tripped backwards, and landed on his backside. Maria paid no heed. She just approached him, her knife glinting dangerously at the light.

"Where?" she asked him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Maria hated sneaking in the GeoFront. It was well watched. She had to come in through the maintenance group that was coming in, and she had to do it by snaking under the van they used to enter. And luck wasn't on her side as usual… the truck was as rusty as they could come. Her shirt was ruined.

However… the trip was worth it. Shinji was in fact telling the truth. Near NERV HQ was a patch of melons growing. Watermelons actually. He was no spy. If he was, his lies were too intricate. His background is also highly questionable. The problem now was… what to do?

Sneaking out of the GeoFront once more (it was far simpler this time), she walked back to her car hidden a few blocks away, and contacted the Oracle as she began to drive back to her base.

"The boy isn't a spy," Maria declared.

"Obviously," the Oracle replied easily. "Why? Found out what those melons were?"

"Watermelons. Apparently, Ryouji did plant them," the Lover stated. "The whole thing was useless. I don't even know what the Management was thinking when they gave me this job."

"It probably has to do with what the boy's father did," the Oracle said. "I did a little research on Commander Ikari. Apparently, he angered the Management the last time an Angel attacked."

"So why don't they punish the man?"

"He's apparently too important to be damaged…" the Oracle seemed to sigh. "I think the Management assigned you to off this boy to give Commander Ikari a lesson."

"I doubt that," the Lover whispered. "They know how I feel about innocents."

"Maria, that may be the reason why they pulled a cock-and-bull story about a certain teenager with no military background of being a spy."

"Connect me to my contact…" Maria muttered. "I'm clearing this with him."

"Alright… but don't come to me when I'm right."

The phone went dead, and a second later, tones of numbers being dialed were heard. Then, ringing. Her contact answered immediately.

"Yes, Maria?"

"I have investigated this Ikari Shinji," the Lover said. "He's an innocent. He has no connection to Ryouji's intelligence circles."

"Too bad," the contact replied. "Then you are done, Maria. Finish him off, and return."

Maria paused. "Excuse me? Finish him off? Why?"

"The boy knows too much. He has seen your face, has he not?"

"Yes, but..."

"No buts, Maria. Sorry… he has to go. Loose end and all," her contact stated.

"But… I… I can't kill an innocent…" she whispered.

"He isn't anymore. He's a loose end," and there was a pause. "If there is a problem, I can send someone else to finish the job."

"No… no problem…" she replied, her eyes hardening as she turned to the left. "No problem at all."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Shinji lay down on the bed as he looked up on the ceiling. He had been staring at it since Maria had dropped him off the room, cuffing him to one of the bedposts so he wouldn't run. She said she'd checked on his story, and he'd better sit tight. However, what made him calm was the fact the woman had said she'd release him if he was truthful… and he was.

He heard the front door opening, so he sat up, waiting for her to arrive at the room where he stayed. When she entered, Shinji tried to see her face, reading it to see if she was finally satisfied. They were blank. That scared him.

She then suddenly began to remove her ruined shirt, and tossed it aside. She also unfastened her bra, freeing her chest from their bindings. The boy's eyes widened suddenly, his face suddenly flushing. She continued to undress until she was fully naked in front of him, and the boy couldn't look anywhere but down, his face rivaling the color of a very ripe tomato.

Then… her words sliced through him like a hot knife through butter.

"I'm sorry, Ikari Shinji. I am going to kill you."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_Author's Notes: _

_Well, sorry for being a bit too slow nowadays. Games and stuff are appearing. Hope you enjoy this story. Later!_


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm sorry, Ikari Shinji. I am going to kill you."

A normal emotion to feel hearing those words would normally be fear. Unfortunately, when a naked woman, who was walking towards him, unflinching, unperturbed - seductive, even, said them, it just confused Shinji. He just stayed there, staring as she moved towards him, taking details of her body as his brain seemed to lurch to a full stop, and the only thing left was the strong beating of his heart.

He tried to look away, but the way she moved was entrancing. His eyes couldn't move away, and he could feel his breathing grow heavier by the second. The room vanished, leaving her and him alone in a monochrome world, with only her strewn in full color, her red eyes almost glowing at him.

He flinched.

She moved, like a snake, quick and assured of her strike. She immediately grabbed his free hand, and with a quick motion, handcuffed him to the bedpost, opposite of his other entrapped limb, leaving him crucified on the soft mattress.

Shinji could only shout a futile protest. "Let me go!"

"Hush," she replied, and moved to the left, towards a table near the bed. She opened the drawer, and he could see her draw out a gun.

Now he felt afraid. "I'll scream!"

"If you want," she said, screwing a black cylinder at the nozzle of her gun, and inserted a magazine. "It's useless, Ikari. You and I both know this building is completely empty, otherwise, you would have shouted for help already."

Shinji actually did. Many times, when she was gone, and he had almost made himself hoarse. Even so, shouting out for help right now seemed better than just going quietly.

She placed the gun down at the table, and he briefly breathed easier again, until she drew a knife from the drawer as well. This one, she didn't put down. Instead, she approached him, her eyes locking once more to his as he felt his breathing quicken, and his panic rising again. Before he could say anything, she straddled on top of him, and placed the tip of the blade on his waist.

Oh God, he thought as he felt the cold steel on his flesh. He sucked his breathe in, knowing how useless the motion was, closing his eyes, silently praying.

Her movement was swift and gentle. She flicked the blade upwards, ripping the cloth of his shirt; torturously slow as Shinji felt the cold move up towards his neck, his heart beating faster and faster. Then, as quick was it started, the blade moved away from his skin, and she exposed his chest to the room air.

He dared open his eyes. He could only see her naked form on top of him; her eyes now had that hunger behind them. Her body slithered, glistening with sweat. He shifted as he could, to try to escape. He couldn't. He was pinned on the bed, her body on top of his, his hands chained to the two bedposts over his head, the cold steel sending shivers.

Her hand then moved over his upper torso, like a wave of water of hot water, moving and groping in rhythm. She lowered her head, her silver hair caressing his skin as she laid her lips, wet by her tongue, on his flesh.

Shinji felt like melting. Her nails swam along his side, scratching his flesh slowly and sensually. Her naked legs felt great, even through the fabric of his pants. She meticulously moved upwards, her hair tickling his nose when she kissed him on the lips.

She made a point to watch him. He could feel her eyes on him in every second. He only looked back, begging for a reprieve. She granted him that. Sliding slowly towards his hips, her tender fingers began to feel the button of his pants, undoing it. She then slowly lowered the zipper, its sound mixing almost evenly with his heavy breathes. He could feel his pants slowly lowering to his knees, and her fingers suddenly moving up towards his thighs, higher and higher. He didn't even know how fast his breathing had become.

Maria watched his motions, hungry and aroused at the same time. She played with him a bit more, enjoying his groans. This was quite an enjoyable experience. She had never been overly intimate with any of her previous lovers. She was more in a hurry for her own satisfaction, knowing that they were about to die from the wounds she had given them. It was either a shot on one of their lungs, or a nick at their artery. She would make love on the pool of blood, watching the life fade from their eyes.

Now it was different. She felt… almost giddy. Ikari was alive, healthy, and responsive. Domina had once said most of her joy is watching her targets squirm. The Lover was finally understood.

Her hips grinded his, her movements turned from teasing to aggressive. She had been waiting for this for far too long, and she began hungrily kissing him. She moved with him, swaying without hurry, yet with hunger. She arched her back, groaning as she felt the minutes tick by, slowly changing her pace, making the whole thing last. Shinji just groaned against her movements, sometimes murmuring a word or two.

Finally, she moved faster, and she ignored Shinji's reaction to her movements. She could feel him intimately, far more than the others. She knew how close he was. She began to kiss his neck, slowly, and began to bite on the soft parts of his skin, all the way to his earlobe. There, she bit harder.

He gasped, and groaned, maybe even shouted softly as he too arched his back, then slumped down, writhing slightly against his bonds, his breathing now shallow. Maria then relaxed on top of him too, making sure she wouldn't crush his small frame with her body. She spotted her gun where she'd left it, and suddenly seemed silly to think of suffocating him considering what she was about to do.

She looked back at him as his body began to relax, his eyes half-open. She watched him, for a moment and placed her hand going over Shinji's face. "Hush," she stated softly.

He relaxed more under her touch, and slowly, he began to nap shallowly. Then, it deepened. After a second, she forced herself to her knees, allowing the young teen more breathing space, and in total silence, got off him.

For a moment, she watched him slumber, watch his chest rhythmically rise and fall with every passing second. She didn't know how long she stayed with him, but the longer she did, the more she realized what she had to do.

Her gun was pointing accusingly at her, armed, silenced and ready for use. She shivered. She approached it, and held it on her hands, the cold metal feeling comfortable on her skin. She walked to the sleeping teen, and placed the muzzle to his chest, just above his heart.

This was it. All it needed was one squeeze. It would all be over.

She repeated that thought over her head. But as she did her hands began shaking. She let it for a few seconds, before she used her free hand to steady the weapon. Another second passed, and she raised her weapon, pointing well away from him. She grabbed a bathrobe was hanging at the hook behind the door and exited the room.

Maria stepped on the carpeted floor of the living room and closed the door behind her. She walked towards her desk and sat on the comfortable chair, her left leg over her chest, while her free hand crossed it. She placed her gun beside the computer screen, which was still on and displaying Shinji's file.

Oh God, she thought. I can't do it.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Shinji slowly drifted around a dark nebulous cloud, whispers around him. He could recognize a few of them. Over time, he realized the words were from the many past conversations he had with everyone in his life.

One particular conversation seemed sharper and more audible than the others.

"_Papa! Don't leave me!" _

Shinji spotted a younger version of himself crying, looking at the back of his younger-looking father. The surrounding clouds slowly formed to a semi-solid background, forming shapes until he recognized the train station. This was where his father had left him all those years ago.

He watched himself cry, surprised. The memory his abandonment was clear, as painful as it was. The experience had left nothing but scars in his heart, but even then, the details of that day, if he tried to recall them, were sketchy at best. He didn't even remember calling his father in such familiar words. Papa. Now that he realized it, he always called him father, or more recently, sir.

The young Ikari Gendou turned, and declared in a monotone voice, _"You are useless to me. I'll call on you when I have a need for you." _

He didn't call me when he needed me, Shinji thought blankly. He wrote it.

Then, for some reason, he found himself smiling at that factoid. Maybe it was hindsight, but the whole thing suddenly seemed very silly.

The fog around began to clear, and Shinji watched more and more memories. Most of them were from the time he had arrived at Tokyo-3. Like the beautiful Misato downing cans of beer at their apartment; Asuka and her fiery attitude as she demanded that he accompany her to the EVA Unit-02 while they were on a warship; and finally, Ayanami as she smiled inside Unit-00's Entry Plug after he had shot down the Fifth Angel.

There were memories of others as well. Kensuke and his uniform, toy gun and well made tent in the middle of a high grassy field when he brought Shinji in when he had run away. Then there was Toji punching him hard the first time they met at school.

Shinji smiled. He forgot how hard Toji had hit him there. Did he really jump back that much? he asked himself. Slowly, the smile turned to frown as he began to remember his friend's fate, and before he could even think of anything else, the image then began to shift. This time, the image of EVA Unit-01 crush the Entry Plug of EVA Unit-03 resonated powerfully around him.

The sudden shift to that horrible scene was too much for him. He took his eyes of it, and began hearing a shrill scream in the air. He covered his ears, realizing at the same time the one who was screaming was Toji. Then it got worse when he realized that in the background, he could hear his own voice as well.

"_STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT! FATHER!"_

He opened his eyes and found himself in a dim and unfamiliar room.

"Nightmares?" asked a voice from his side.

Shinji turned, and spotted a beautiful silver-haired woman, her face illuminated harshly by the lamp on top of the desk at her right. She was sitting down in a small comfortable couch, but she was anything but. She sat there, rigid, her red eyes staring at him and her body covered by only a loosely tied bathrobe.

For a moment, he didn't recognize her, and then everything fell into place. She kidnapped him and more than once placed him at gunpoint, and then slowly, the memories of his experience began to move forward like his dream. He remembered her putting him down the floor with relative ease when he tried to escape; he remembered her insistence of being relatively close to him as they ate ramen in that shop and it all ended with her eyes staring at him as she slithered to his body in the sweet and sultry copulation that had left breathless.

He blushed horribly, the memory now becoming clearer by the second. All that was dashed when he heard a gun cock. The sound of cold clicking steel was something he had been familiar with since NERV gave him basic weapon training before he began combat training with Unit-01. Not that it was much of use against the Fourth Angel.

Today though, it was a harsh reminder of his plight

"Did you have a nightmare?" she asked again.

"Yes," he replied, after a moment.

She frowned. "I'd have hoped that I would have given a better dream before it all ended for you."

"You're really going to kill me," he said, his voice a whisper.

"Yes," she said.

He shivered. "I… I wish you did it when I was sleeping."

"Sorry, Shinji," she smiled sadly. "I wanted you to at least know that this wasn't in any way your fault." She paused. "It was your father's."

He fought to keep his surprise, but he didn't. Maria shook her head, stood up, and walked slowly towards him, this time it was no seductive walk or anything fancy. It was just a neutral march with no wasted motions. She stood there, looking down at him, her expression never changing

"I read your file. I read everything about you," she continued. "Your father doesn't love you."

Denial boiled forth, almost expressing itself audibly, until she laid a gentle hand on his face. For some inexplicable reason, he suddenly found himself relaxing at her touch.

"And you will deny it, because you either love him, or because he is your blood and family," she continued. "I understand. I too was like you. I too loved my father," she scoffed, "until I stabbed him, at least."

She raised her hand, and sat down beside the bound Shinji, her eyes still looking at his.

"It is sad that your life was influenced by your father up until the end," she said, and then raised her gun and pointed it at his heart. "Even now, he won't even put an effort to search for you. Odd."

He shivered and whimpered at the same time, his body jolting as the cold steel touched his flesh.

"No, please…"

"Hush," she whispered, her free hand going once more towards his face, this time covering his eyes.

He was stilled, but even her touch wasn't calming enough to make him stop begging. Shinji could only hear his own breathing, could only feel her warm touch and the biting cold sharp metal on his shivering chest.

He was helpless, bound at her mercy.

It felt like months, until she spoke again.

"Shinji… what if I told you I'd spare your life?" she asked.

"Wha… what?"

"Your father is the one who did this to you. If you wanted to, I can help you. I will bring you to him, and I will subdue him. All you have to do is kill him, and I will let you go. How about it?"

Shinji's mind, for some reason, heard and understood her words clearly. Then he began to think about it. Was she telling him the truth, or was she just confusing him? The latter he could understand, as she was very good at it. Even her touch had a calming effect, considering he was about to be shot and killed. He faced death multiple times, and never had he been exactly at peace, so what was different her?

She was inviting him to kill his own father. Could he even do it? Part of him felt justified in doing so. He remembered everything from the letter, ordering him to go to Tokyo-3 when he was expecting something more. And when he came, he had known nothing but pain and misery, piloting a robot that did nothing but inflict trauma to him. The final straw would have been Toji, his Entry Plug crushed by his EVA's hands.

And he believed her… she might in fact get to him. It could be his ticket out. He could prolong his life… all he had to do was to kill his father.

He felt his tears come out, and realized the simple matter of truth.

"I can't…" he finally said.

"You can't?" she replied, her voice deceptively calm.

"Yes… I can't."

"Why?"

"Because… I just can't."

Her voice softened. "Even if it's your life at stake?"

"Even then…" he said with the most conviction he could send through his panicked and wavering voice. "But…"

"Yes?"

"I don't want to die."

Her hand lifted from his eyes, and she cupped his chin up, making him look at her. She nodded, solemnly.

"No one does, Shinji."

There was sharp pain, and then… darkness.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Misato sighed as she stared at her desk. There was nothing there except a small pile of files, each with reports of the investigation, having assigned Hyuuga to do most of the mundane paperwork that concerned NERV workings.

There was a time when Misato would have loved having minimal amount of papers to work with. Now, though, it was the painful reminder that she was nowhere near getting Shinji back, and what Ritsuko had said was getting to her.

She rubbed her fingers through her face, feeling her purple hair flowing through the space between. She sighed.

Her computer at the left side of her desk rang with a slight _Ping! _sound. Ritsuko left her a message. She opened it, and read it. It was short, clear, and to the point. Moreover, it was in bold.

**Go home already, Misato. **

She snorted, and closed the message. You'd think Ritsuko was hiding something in here, telling her to go home already. Misato wanted to… she really wanted to. But every time she thought of leaving to her apartment, she would be hit with an empty feeling in her stomach.

Her office felt more comforting than her apartment did. And she knew why. There was a time when she couldn't wait to leave to the apartment, go home and eat one of Shinji's meals, listen to Asuka bicker about school, about the 'Three Stooges'. Now, it was devoid of anything. Asuka was at psychiatric watch, while Shinji himself…

Shinji. She felt fire coursing through her body. Anger. She was angry with the one who dared kidnap him. She was angry with the Supreme Commander for his callous, uncaring reaction to the disappearance of his only son. Most of all, she was angry with herself for not protecting him - angry that she felt, ultimately, useless.

Her phone rang. She glanced at it, and took a deep breathe. No matter how she felt, she was still a Major, a soldier. A professional. She couldn't just explode on everyone else… well, maybe except Ritsuko. Or, her heart panged even more, Kaji.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Major Katsuragi?"

Misato blinked. Female, and she couldn't seem to place the voice from anywhere, yet… it was familiar.

"Yes?" she replied, warily.

"Ikari Shinji says his farewells."

Dark emotion filled her being, like venomous blood flowing through her veins. She gripped her phone hard enough to strain her hand and the plastic. She finally placed the voice; it was the voice she heard in her apartment, the voice of whose face hidden beneath a ski mask.

"You!" she growled.

"I also want to apologize for hurting you. In more ways than one."

"Shut up. Where is he?" Misato demanded. "Where's my Shinji!?"

There was a pause. Then, a reply. "As I have said… I apologize."

"Listen to me you bitch," she replied with spite, "you hurt him, and I swear, I will come for you. With everything I got, I will kill you! Where. Is. He!?"

Another pause, even longer than the first. For a moment, Misato thought the kidnapper had hung up.

"I'm sorry. It's too late," and with a click, the phone went dead.

Anger left her system, leaving only a cold dread creeping up the base of her spine, like water freezing upwards. Fear came along with the dread, spinning her stomach with to a nauseating motion. She held the phone, her eyes wide and her face drained, slackened with heavy emotion.

Then, fire raged, replacing the fear and uncertainty with drive – a drive for vengeance. She placed the phone back to its cradle and then lifted it again, pressing a button on the dial that linked her to a communication security department.

"Major Katsuragi," she announced when the other line connected. "I just received a call. I need a trace."

After a few moments, Section-8 found little details of her call, most importantly the phone number of her caller. Then, they began the trace.

Satisfied, she hung up, stood up, and grabbed the jacket that rested at the backside of her chair, and wore it without wasted motion. She exited her office to a long well lit corridor, and strode with a purpose towards its length. Staff and guards on their shift staggered to the side as she walked to them, not wanting to be on her way. She almost even bumped on poor Hyuuga, leaving him a bit confused.

She finally reached the elevator, and called it down. Seconds, the metal doors opened, and she rode it up to the office of the Supreme Commander of NERV. Striding through the sliding doors, she ignored the secretary who asked her what her purpose of visit was, and fearlessly strolled into the office.

Inside, her entrance surprised Ritsuko, Gendou, and Fuyutsuki, who all seemed to be discussing something. Misato strode in and placed herself in front of Gendou, pushing her faux-blonde friend slightly at the side and saluted.

"Major Katsuragi," Gendou said calmly. "Yes?"

"Sir, permission to take a unit of Section-2 personnel," Misato stated neutrally.

Fuyutsuki raised an eyebrow. "For what purpose, Major?"

"A rescue mission, sir," she replied.

"You have found the Third Child?" the Supreme Commander asked.

"I have reasons to believe I found a lead to him."

Then Misato explained the phone call she had just received. She explained how she had Section-8 do a trace.

Gendou grunted. "Your lead is very shaky, Major. For all you know, she used a pay phone to call you."

"Section-8 was able to discern the source number," she replied, a little put-off. "It is a landline number. They are obtaining the address as we speak."

"It seems a bit optimistic that a professional who has taken the Third Child under your custody would make a basic mistake in this stage."

"It is our only lead so far," Misato almost growled. "Sir."

Fuyutsuki looked at Gendou, who seemed still. He enclosed his gloved fingers together, hid his nose between the arches of his two arms, and then, nodded.

"Very well. Take Section-2 and rescue the Third Child."

"Thank you sir," Misato saluted, turned and left the office, her dark eyes blazing.

She didn't tell them about the woman's insinuation. She felt if she had, she was sure the Supreme Commander would have been less cooperative. As incompetent as she felt about Section-2's security detail, they were still experienced soldiers and had training. She'd rather have a whole unit when facing this woman. That way, there would be a higher chance in ensuring Shinji's survival, or if she was truthful of her implications, then she'd have utmost difficulty in escaping Misato's wrathful promise.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Maria slid into the driver side of her car, and closed the door. She took a deep breath, and started the engine, taking one last look at the apartment building that served as her home base during her whole operation. She put the car in gear and drove away.

By the time she came to the empty highway going towards city limits, she took out her cell phone and dialed 'two'. The phone then connected to a secure line that bounced off multiple times to make it virtually untraceable. She knew because of the low ringing sound that permeated in the background as an automated voice asked her to hold the line.

Finally, it connected.

"Oracle."

"It's done," Maria replied coolly.

"Oh…" there was a pause. "I... I thought you wouldn't go through with it."

"I had no choice. They told me they would have sent the Doctor."

Maria could feel the shiver from her side as the Oracle replied, "Maybe… maybe you did the right thing."

"He was an innocent," the Lover whispered. "What I did… was wrong."

There was another pause, this time, more uncomfortable than the last. Maria kept the line connected as she drove through the tarmac, going faster now.

"Maria… for what its worth-"

"Don't apologize," she said. "You don't have anything to apologize for. But, as you guessed, I am a bit… angry."

"Understandable. Have you told your handler about your success in the job?"

"No."

"Wha... shouldn't you call him first before calling me about your mission status?"

"I called you because you can arrange something," Maria muttered.

"What is it?"

"Tell my handler that if I ever see him again, I will shoot his kneecaps, and slit his throat. You tell him if he has problems with that, I will sick the Doctor on him. Or maybe Firefly. Whoever will dish more damage."

"Maria-"

"He can reassign himself to someone else. Right now. Make it clear to him this is the best thing he can do."

The Lover took a deep breath and breathed out. She made a left as she finally reached the city limits, and guided her car, exiting Tokyo-3 Proper. For a moment, no one said anything, and she wondered if she had shocked the Oracle. It was an accurate assessment, considering how the Oracle fumbled out her next words.

"Um… so should I call the Cleaner?"

"No need," Maria said. "I already took care of it."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You'll see."

It was just a few moments later that an explosion rocked the city.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Misato was inside an armored van, along with Section-2 detail around her, each checking their side arms at their holsters, and rechecking the magazine of their assault weapons. She, herself, was tapping the butt of her weapon impatiently. The vehicle moved in steady movement, silent, only lit with a red bulb to mask their presence. A few times, they began to jostle around, making them sway along with the motions.

They all wore relatively the same uniform. Mostly dark clothes for camouflage, they all wore vests, helmets, and night vision goggles raised, the lens pointing upwards. Misato only wore dark pants and a vest over her work shirt, and her own goggles strapped down her neck.

The air smelled heavily of gunpowder, oil and metal. Misato could feel apprehension for some of them as well. Considering she had threatened them to suspension without pay and demotion if they made any mistake, they should be nervous.

They were on the way to the apartment Section-8 had identified where the call came from. She had insisted on going as well, much to the protests of Ritsuko, which was beginning to annoy Misato, almost blowing her off. Her friend never seemed to care much about Shinji, something she wasn't exactly obtuse about. How could that she understand what Misato was feeling when she was so detached to almost anyone but her work?

No one of Section-2 spoke. In a minute time, they would be deployed to rescue the Third Child, and considering how it was partly their fault that he had been taken, they were about to bring down the thunder on whoever made fools of them and get back on the good graces of their employer.

"One minute," the driver called.

Misato just nodded, taking a deep breath. This is it.

The truck stopped exactly a minute later, and the driver gave them a nod. The rear door of the van opened, and Section-2 began to pour out steadily, quietly. They were currently just outside the wall fencing of the moderately large parking area at the base of the apartment building.

Misato took the lead, signaling Section-2 behind her with hand movements. They were to be quiet as possible as not to alert the kidnapper of their presence, and entered, hugging the concrete wall as they moved in the shadows near the entrance.

The building was moderately tall, and beautiful. Unlike other high-rise buildings, which were blocky because it was easier for them to be brought down in case of an Angel attack, this building curved slightly to one side, forming half a bow with its structure. Instead of just metal box, it was concrete and wood with one side made of glass, and considering the elevation of the location, surrounded by trees, it would have given the city a breathtaking view.

Or it would have been. Now, it was in a state of disrepair. The Angel attacks have finally made the land succumb, tearing out trees in chunks. The building was swerving to one side, leaning, affected by the last Angel attack. It reminisced of a tower in old Pisa Italy.

"Alright," Misato muttered, settling in on her routine. She may not have been a field soldier, but tactics and commands were her forte. "You know all your jobs. We have snipers on different buildings, but they are only there if she exposes herself. I want a quick entry. I want to take her in by surprise, and I want it fast. You three on the rooftops, rappel down behind the apartment. You six on the flanks - punch a hole through the sidewalls, and deploy flashbangs. And we three on the front. Once those grenades go off, we all go in together, and box her in. Don't give her a chance to escape, you hear me?"

"Yes ma'am," they all said collectively.

"Good. Then let's-"

She never finished. Suddenly, somewhere in the building, a whole floor exploded outwards in a sea of flames. Misato immediately covered herself with her arm as glass rained, sparkling with the fire as it came down on the ground. Black smoke flew outwards, and she choked at the smell of burnt rubber, wood, and gas, which permeated at the same time, giving a nauseous odor.

When she could finally look up, the cold dread feeling returned. She stumbled towards her radio on her hip, and opened the line towards one of the snipers in the surrounding buildings.

"This is Major Katsuragi," she stated. "What the hell just happened?"

"This is Eagle Eye Delta… floor twelve exploded."

"This is Eagle Eye Alpha. Confirmed. It's the twelve floor. My God… the whole thing's a mess."

Twelfth floor. Misato's grip on her radio was so hard that just a little more, she would have injured herself. Section-8 had specifically locked the trace to this apartment at room 1243, at the twelfth floor.

"Shinji…" she whispered, her face pale. She took a slow step, then a faster one, then a faster one. By her fourth step, she was almost at a full run and would have run through the entrance if the Section-2 personnel hadn't caught up with her.

"Major!" the one who grabbed her called.

"Let me go!" she screamed, her eyes tearing up as she struggled against him. Overpowering him to the ground, she was about to dash once more but more of Section-2 stopped her dead, dragging her back away from the burning building.

"Let me go! Shinji! SHINJI!"

The cackle of fire raging, spreading towards the cool night sky, was the only reply to her anguished cries.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Many miles away, on another city, another safe house, a bell rang as the elevator hit the basement floor. It opened, revealing Maria, carrying a rather large bundle at her arms. She walked briskly, apparently unaffected by the weight of her load, with incandescent lights flickering to life one by one, revealing a rather bland studio-sized room.

It was a minimalist quarters, lacking the regular luxuries in life, replaced instead by several weapons ranging from handguns to armor-piercing sniper rifles that were prominently displayed inside glass case shelves that littered around the room. Where there were no shelves, there were small desks, which either held bullets of different ballistics, small stacks of money of different currencies, or documentations including passports and other IDs.

There was a computer in the farthest corner of the room, a small fridge beside it. And on the opposite horizontal corner laid a rather odd device. It was a pod, large enough to fit a person of average height supported by a thick metallic stand with multiple large tanks filled with an orange substance. The mesh of wires around the pod connected all the way to a terminal located in its left.

She approached the pod, and laid down her bundle in front of it. She removed the blanket she used to cover the pod revealing an unconscious Shinji, who shivered now, his naked body washed with crimson blood. At his wrists tied rubber tourniquets, and both of his hands had missing fingers, leaving only dried blood stumps in their place.

Maria stood up and opened the glass door of the pod with haste. It seems the anesthesia was now losing its effect, and he was beginning to waken to shock and pain. She lifted him up gingerly, and placed him carefully in the pod, binding his arms, legs, neck and head to the device. She removed the tourniquets before closing the pod with a slight click, moved towards the terminal and pressed a button.

The machine hummed to life, and the pod began to fill with orange liquid from its tanks to the brim, fully submerging the boy. A few bubbles escaped his nose before he suddenly struggled on his bonds. His eyes blearily opened, then widened in shock.

Maria stood in front of him, her beautiful face neutral. Her red eyes shook slightly as she watched him struggle, and then she knocked on the glass pod.

Shinji relaxed. The orange liquid felt, even smelled, familiar.

"Can you hear me?" she asked. "Nod if you can."

He nodded.

"You are on a healing tank," she replied professionally. "Its job is to heal wounds, regenerate limbs if you give it a few weeks. If you notice, some of your fingers are missing."

Shinji opened his mouth with surprise, and tried to look down only to find out that he was bound.

"Those will take a week to grow. I'm betting you are also feeling a bit dizzy, and that's because you lost a lot of blood. The machine will regulate everything for you and most of the time; you will be sleeping until you are healed, wherein the machine will release you." She paused, letting her words roll on him. "I will be back before that, though, so do not entertain any thoughts of escaping."

Shinji's face twisted akin to surprise and confusion. Maria smiled a bit at that, and quickly hid it as she spoke again.

"Are you wondering why you are alive? I spared you, Shinji. For now, it's sufficed to say that your life is now mine." Then, her expression softened. Her hand touched the pod, over his cheek. "I'll explain everything when I come back, Shinji. Then… then maybe you can decide whether it was better off killing you."

Maria walked towards the terminal, and pressed a button. The pod whirred, and she stood there for a moment, her eyes glazed a bit. She then walked back towards the pod, and found Shinji once more succumbing to unconsciousness. This time though, he looked peaceful, sleeping almost.

She was just asking for trouble. Not only had she condemned Shinji to a life of peril, hunted down by the others who would no doubt end his life as easily as they could blink, but also forfeiting her life if they found out. She touched the pod again, this time over his face and sighed, her eyes closed.

She could give him mercy. She got what she wanted from him. She got a night of passion and love. It should only be natural for her to end his life. She had done so before.

But she couldn't. Not with him.

She shivered. Was she doing the right thing? For her? For him?

Maybe tomorrow will tell… but considering how fate was with her, she knew it would all somehow end badly.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_xxxxxxxxxx_

_It has been two weeks of investigation. Section-7 has determined the explosive devices used were homemade. They were used with conjunction with leaking gas main of the whole floor for explosive effect. The biggest and most concentrated explosion was centered around Apartment Room 1243, where it left the room at a mangled mess, destroying almost anything on site. Any useful clues or evidence was compromised by the fire. _

_The status of the Third Child has been shifted from Missing to Killed. While the body of the Third Child was not found in room 1243 when the room had blown up, there is evidence to point out justification. In the bathroom, we have found, on the tub, two fingers: index and ring. Fingerprints match the third Child. The drain and the tub itself were filled with blood, matching the Third Child as well. We have also found other sets of fingers about three miles from the primary scene, scattered, which also matched the Third Child's._

_We are assuming that whoever took the Third Child had cut him to pieces and in panic, left two fingers on the tub by mistake. Whoever this kidnapper was must have realized his or her mistake when calling Major Katsuragi, and left in a hurry, and scattered the remains of the body. _

_We are still trying to recover other parts of the Third Child, though it is conclusive. Attached are all evidence notes and photos gathered. _

_xxxxxxxx Miyamoto_

_Head Investigator_

_Section-7_


End file.
